this is bbc news. i'm nkem ifejika. our top stories: hundreds of thousands take to the streets as protests against us immigration policies spread coast to coast. anger in india after a seven—year—old girl is raped and tortured. syrian forces shell opposition—held deraa as rebels refuse to surrender. game overfor messi and ronaldo — argentina out, portugal sent packing — the first day of the world cup knockouts. hello and welcome to bbc world news. from coast—to—coast, in major cities and small towns, hundreds of thousands of americans have come out to protest against president trump's immigration policies. protestors have been calling for migrant families split up at the us border to be reunited. the rallies were organised before

mr trump ordered an end to the widely criticised "zero tolerance" policy of separating children from their parents. but most of those 2,300 children are yet to be reunited with theirfamilies. chris buckler has been speaking to protestors in washington. chanting: no trump, no kkk, no fascist usa! a nation that was built on the back of immigration seems more than ever divided by the issue. chanting: vote them out! vote them out! no hate, no fear! across america, tens of thousands gathered, to protest at how people are treated when they arrive at this country's borders. from new york to san francisco, families marched together in support of otherfamilies. no kids should be put injail. in washington, on a stage that could be seen from the white house, children were among those sending a message to president trump. you could imagine if someone took away our kids, you know, under the guise of giving them a bath.

it's horrible, we want the families together, we want them to be together as soon as possible. and you know, we're here to make our voices heard. cheering. it was public anger that forced donald trump to change his policy of separating families however there is concern here that many parents have still not been reunited with their children. there's also a worry about what will come next — this suggestion that families could simply be held together. but president trump knows among his supporters there are many who want this border with mexico to remain secure. and he believes america couldn't cope with the huge numbers that want to make the country its home. i can't imagine being these people. i can't imagine not speaking the language. i can't imagine not having lawyers. i can't imagine not knowing what's going to happen to you. this day of action was planned before the outcry over family separations but the white house knows the president's polarising policies will remain under close scrutiny.

chris buckler, bbc news, washington. earlier i spoke to marissa lang, staff writer at the washington post, and i asked her what sort of people were on the rally. there were a number of people who came from around the washington area. there were just as many who came from various states across the country. we found a young man that had travelled from alabama alone on an ii—hour bus ride to be here today. there were a lot of families. a lot of parents came out with their children, grandparents, people who wanted to come and show support forthe immigrant families at the border. there were some folks who said they had never been to a protest before. i talked to a gentleman who said he is a lifelong republican, had never been out to a demonstration, and this was his first. that was the question i was going to ask you, if there were any newbies, people who would not necessarily be

against the republican agenda, or president trump's administration, who were in attendance. there were, yes. what does this say about the president's support? is this one of the ones where even his supporters are against him in large parts? i think it's a tricky question, the president has a base of people who are very much with him on this, who do support him, who think this is exactly the reaction that the country should be having to folks who are trying to cross the border. there are quite a few folks who are registered republicans, members of the president's party, who do not agree. there have been a few polls that show at the majority of americans think that these detentions are wrong and the country should move away from them. were there people who said, well, we should still secure our borders, or was this really on the other side of the argument? the protest today had three main points, the first was that they want the immediate return of the children separated from their parents. the second is they wanted to stop family detentions, which the president's administration has said they will continue to do. they also wanted the president

to move away from his zero tolerance immigration policy. stop the crackdowns and the criminalisation. there were other folks there who had a bit more of an aggressive personal agenda. people who were calling for the abolition of us immigration and customs enforcement, also known as ice. and there there were folks who said i believe we should have a secure border, but this is not how we should be treating people who are coming here seeking asylum. so it was a pretty wide array of opinions, but they all agreed on these few central points. that was marissa lang of the washington post. a seven—year—old girl who was raped and tortured in the indian state of madhya pradesh recently is now believed to be recovering from severe injuries. meanwhile, thousands have been out on the streets protesting against the incident. the bbc‘s nitin srivastava visits the town of mandsaur. prayers for someone they have never seen or met. these schoolgirls have been out on the streets demanding justice for a seven—year—old

who was brutally raped and stabbed. translation: this happened in our town today and can happen somewhere else tomorrow. such incidents have been on the rise. we want these monsters to be hanged. a sleepy town in central india struggles with shock. thousands have come out in support of the victim, who was taken from outside her school and tortured for hours. translation: her school cctv cameras were not working so we had to take footage from shopkeepers and social media platforms. we are now pushing for a speedy trial. such is the anger on the streets that even the legal community are taking the unusual step of refusing to defend the suspects. translation: this is a crime against humanity and we have decided

that no one from our fraternity will defend the accused in the courts. the accused are from the minority muslim community and there are worries regarding the communal backlash. but the muslim community has taken a stand too. if the men are found guilty, their families will suffer, too. translation: our community has declared that if the accused are convicted and get capital punishment, we would not even allow them to be buried in this town. even theirfamilies would be made to leave. there have been huge protests against the suspects and demands for capital punishment is growing. but the fact remains that such horrific incidents continue to haunt india again and again. talks aimed at stopping the fighting between government forces and rebels in southern syria have ended in failure. the opposition forces were attempting to negotiate a ceasefire with the government's russian allies in order to stop a major offensive by syrian military

forces in deraa province, which is near the border withjordan. but the rebels have reportedly rejected what they called a humiliating demand to surrender. bill hayton reports. daraa was one of the first cities to rise up against president assad seven years ago. since then it has been a battleground, and now it is being pounded into submission. from the air and the ground, russian jets and government soldiers are close to destroying the last major rebel stronghold in southern syria. around half the city is reported to be in government hands and another eight nearby towns fell to the regime on saturday, according to local reports. translation: we have successfully fulfilled our mission in the region. our soldiers' health, ourfaith in victory and our commitment to the president enabled us to win this victory and defeat the terrorist groups in this rugged region. the current offensive has been

going on for almost two weeks. the rebels are caught between government forces and the border with jordan, but are refusing to surrender. a bitter battle is taking place around a military airbase. casualty figures are not known but one human rights group estimates that 100 civilians have been killed in daraa in the past week. the un estimates 160,000 people have been forced to flee. some are headed to a sliver of territory held by a rival rebel group, linked to islamic state. with the russian government forces and syrian government forces making steady progress, it seems like the end of rebel—controlled southern syria is not far away. you're watching bbc world news. let's get some of the day's other news.

at least one person has been killed and around a dozen injured during a march in the nicaraguan capital, managua in memory of the young protestors who died over more than two months of anti—government protests. rights groups reported armed men shooting at marchers during the demonstration. the militant islamist group al—shabab has banned single—use plastic bags in areas under its control in somalia. according to media outlets affiliated with the group, the militants consider plastic bags a serious threat to the well—being of both humans and animals. al—shabab did not say how it would implement the ban but because of widespread fear of the group's use of violence, orders are usually followed. the sri lankan navy is to move to a port leased to a state—run chinese firm. after the end of the civil war, sri lanka borrowed billions of dollars from china to implement major infrastructure projects, including the hambantota port. but last year in lieu of the debt, sri lanka agreed to give china a majority stake in the port.

hong kong is marking the 21st anniversary of the handover of hong kong from britain to china with a flag raising ceremony. thousands of hong kong residents are expected to take to the streets today for an annual protest march, as tensions continue to simmer over the financial hub‘s democratic future. 0ur correspondent martin yip is in hong kong. this marks the first anniversary of the chief executive. just before she entered this venue for the flag raising ceremony she was greeted by pro— beijing spectators waving both hong kong and china flags. according to some pro—democracy legislators, the party has been more harmonic between them and the government. the recent sentences against activists involved in the umbrella movement and the clashes as political

persecution. according to government this is only the exercise of the rule of law. there will still be challenges, including the execution of the chep when plant, where a piece of legislation. passed by the local legislation not long ago. that will see chinese police officers, and customs officers, exercising their power on hong kong soil. also their power on hong kong soil. also the government will introduce a piece of legislature to protect the chinese national flag, piece of legislature to protect the chinese nationalflag, which has proven controversial as well. that was martin yip. stay with us on bbc world news, still to come: it's game over for argentina and portugal after losses on the first day of the world cup knockouts — messi and ronaldo among the heavyweights heading home. china marked its first day of rule in hong kong with a series of spectacular celebrations. a huge firework display was held

in the former colony. the chinese president, jiang zemin, said unification was the start of a new era for hong kong. the world's first clone has been produced of an adult mammal. scientists in scotland have produced a sheep called dolly, that was cloned in a laboratory using a cell from another sheep. for the first time in 20 years, russian and american spacecraft have docked in orbit, at the start of a new era of cooperation in space. challenger powered past the bishop rock lighthouse at almost 50 knots, shattering a record that had stood for 34 years. and there was no hiding the sheer elation of richard branson and his crew. this is bbc world news, the latest headlines: crowds take to the streets

in hundreds of us cities in protest against president trump's immigration policies. syrian forces shell opposition—held areas of darraa as rebels refuse to surrender. soldiers in thailand have been carrying out evacuation rehearsals as they continue to search for 12 missing boys inside a flooded cave. the fate of the boys, aged between 11 and 16, and their football coach, has gripped the nation since they went missing seven days ago in chiang rai province. the bbc‘s howard johnson has been spending some time behind the police cordon where the children's families and rescue workers are waiting anxiously. the relatives of the missing 13 have been waiting inside this tented area now for a week. they have heard very little from search and rescue teams since their boys went missing inside the caves, which were flooded following heavy rain. in times like this, thai families come together to pray, eat together and

comfort one another. 0ne mother we spoke to said it would be depressing to stay at home waiting for them. "staying together helps to give moral support," she said. but they are part of a wider thai community here, and central to the support effort is food. it is what really bonds the thai people. these meals here have been provided by the thai king. there are also hundreds of civilian volunteers helping out here. this morning i saw three cavers going off into the hills behind us to find routes into the caverns. this woman has come along to help with her translation skills. why did you decide to come along and help? because i watched the news from the first day and i have my own children, two children at home, and i thought if they are in the cave, so i could not sleep or eat, so i come, maybe i can support and help here. what we have seen in the last few minutes is one of thailand's most prestigious monks arrive to give

a ceremony for the relatives of the missing 13. you can see it going onjust behind me over here, and it demonstrates what happens when a vip arrives at the site — lots of media flock around to see what's going on, police blowing whistles. sometimes it can get a bit chaotic here. there are hundreds of search and rescue workers here waiting to be called into action the moment that the boys are found. but the conditions here are tough. there is mud everywhere. it is hot and humid, and when it rains, it is torrential. for now, all they can do is be patient and wait for news on the teams inside the cave. the bbc‘s howard johnson, reporting from northern thailand there. now, 30 years ago a us warship, the uss vincennes, shot down an iranian airliner over the persian gulf. all 290 on board were killed, among them 66 children. in a rare interview, the bbc‘s witness programme has

spoken to someone who was on board the us warship. rudy pahoyo was then a us navy combat cameraman, who just happened to be filming on the vincennes on that fateful day. he's been speaking to our history programme, witness. it was a tragedy. we did shoot down an airliner. 0ne of those things... i'm still in disbelief that it could have happened. the mood in the gulf was very tense. iran and their raqqa we re very tense. iran and their raqqa were at war at the time and the us navy was protecting the oil tankers that came out of kuwait to make sure that came out of kuwait to make sure that the flow of oil kept coming to the united states. —— iran and iraq. the iranians were harassing those ships. these speedboats that the

iranians were using, they would round—robin bishops while they were shooting, try to catch it on fire, so shooting, try to catch it on fire, so our shooting, try to catch it on fire, so ourjob wasjust shooting, try to catch it on fire, so ourjob was just kind of like a police force, if you will. the team i was with was combat camera group. iam i was with was combat camera group. i am videotaping the whole time. and i caught a ride with the uss vincennes, and aegis cruiser. $1 billion but, state—of—the—art at the time. as we were sailing back to bahrain, we got into a battle with iranian speedboats. general quarters, general quarters. all hands, manual battle stations. during a gunboat battle we were thinking that they were going to come at us, with whatever they have now, and that would have been there a force. the year before, 1987, the uss stark got hit by an exocet missile launched by iraqi. we were

a lwa ys missile launched by iraqi. we were always reminded, remember the stark, remember the stark. about five minutes went by and they said there was a target that had left an iranian airfield. in iran, and military airfield and a civilian airfield are the same place. so when it took off the aircraft was identified as a hostile. they thought it was the iranian air force and 1a tomcat. but the plane in reality was iran air flight 655. it was an airline, and airbus. five times a week there is a scheduled air service from bandar abbas across the straits to dubai. but here the cruise, waiting for another target to come out, and the aircraft takes off. and i believe one of the

lieutenants, i went up and asked him, whatare lieutenants, i went up and asked him, what are we doing? he said, you are going to see some missile action. and i went to the operations specialist who was watching the scope and he was watching the missiles, because you can track them off the radar, and he sees it hit a target. but they found out like 15 or 20 minutes later that it was an airliner. and iranian airbus is presumed crashed. please look for survivors or aircraft wreckage. so thatis survivors or aircraft wreckage. so that is when it was like, what? airliner missing? we didn't shoot an airliner. we shot a tomcat, i thought. there was a lot of soul—searching. disbelief. that's not supposed to happen, that's not what we were here to do. 290 civilians passed away on flight 655,

and of those 290, 66 were children. felt so bad for the families that lost their loved ones. and sometimes you are part of history and you love it and sometimes you are part of history and you hate it. this was just one of those things where you just one of those things where you just wish it didn't happen. but i was there. let's bring you some pictures now. a privately developed rocket has exploded and crashed to the ground just seconds after lift—off in japan. hundreds of people were watching in shock as the rocket fell from the sky in flames at a test site on the island of hokkaido. it was unmanned and there were no injuries reported. the rocket was developed by a start—up company, interstellar technologies, which is hoping to provide affordable commercial space flights. football, and saturday saw two of the greatest players in the history of the game crash out of the world cup within a few hours of each other.

argentina's lionel messi and portugal's cristiano ronaldo both lost in the first knock—out stage, as france and uruguay moved on to the quarter—finals. the bbc‘s tim allman watched the action. they have been, without doubt, the players of their generation. arguably, two of the best players of all time. but neither lionel messi nor cristiano ronaldo have ever won a world cup. and, now, barring something fairly extraordinary, it seems unlikely they ever will. it was lionel messi who departed first. argentina losing in a fantastic match against france. a penalty gave the french an early lead but a few minutes before half—time, argentina scored a screamer to make it 1—1. after the break, mercado deflected a shot and put argentina ahead. and that was as good as it got for the south americans. they were equalised just before the hour mark. and then france were sent through with another goal and lionel messi was sent home. to the argentina fans it was a disappointment, but some still have hope. translation: this team

has completed a cycle. it now needs to be renewed. ten players plus lionel messi. he has to continue. he has to get to the world cup. it is fundamental. i want him to leave the game with that golden trophy. translation: a team that never worked, never got going. that it was a great match that either side could have won. so, superstar number one had gone. how about superstar number two? the second match, uruguay versus portugal took place in sochi and uruguay took the lead with a fantastic cross, met by a fantastic header.

ten minutes into the second half and it was 1—1. pepe doing the honours. uruguay were not to be denied. another great player heading home and the sense that an era is drawing to a close. for more on the world cup, head to the bbc sport website. you'll find team news, fixtures, match reports, all building up to the final onjuly 15. a great white shark has been spotted near the spanish mediterranean island of majorca. this footage was captured by a wildlife conservation group. it's the first time such a shark has been seen in this area for over a0 years. the last confirmed sighting of such a fish in the balearic islands was by a fisherman in 1976.

great whites can weigh up to two tons, grow to lengths of 20 foot and reach speeds of aokm per hour. mind how you splash. hundreds of thousands of americans have, to protest against president trump's immigration policies. that is the main headline tonight. they have called for migrant families split at the border to be reunited. the rallies were organised before president trump ordered an end to the widely criticised tolerance policy of separating from their pa rents. policy of separating from their parents. but up until the last time we checked, most of those 2300 children are yet to be reunited with theirfamilies. here children are yet to be reunited with their families. here is children are yet to be reunited with theirfamilies. here is a reminder. you can reach me on twitter. i'm @nkem|fejika. hello there.

june has been exceptionally dry for large parts of the uk. the heat has been far and wide. so too the sunshine. and for the first day ofjuly, many of us will see more of the same. but not quite everywhere, because we've got the chance of a few thundery downpours towards the far south—west. that's because here, we're going to be very close to this growing area of cloud that has sort of sprung into life over the past few hours. that high—based cloud is drifting towards the south—west of the uk. ahead of it, we're drawing in a slightly different wind direction, more south—easterly, but that's picking up more heat and more humidity blowing into the south. that humidity and that cloud triggering a few thundery downpours towards the far south—west

and the channel islands for a while. at the same time, a very weak weather front brings cloud towards northern ireland. maybe a few spots of rain in the far north—west of scotland. but elsewhere, it will be dry and sunny. temperatures in the mid—20s, scotland and northern ireland, high 20s, perhaps 30 degrees or so across england and wales. well, let's focus on those showers, and we've got thunderstorm warnings issued by the met office for the very first time for the south—west of england and south wales, but a few storms could arrive all the way towards sussex into surrey, maybe later on into the south midlands. don't take the position of those areas of rain as gospel because it is a developing situation, all developing around this very flabby area of low pressure that's bringing that cloud and the potential for some storms. but at the same time, we've got high pressure building in across the north. so on monday, most places are going to have a dry and sunny day once again. there will still be a few storms not far away from the far south—west through the english channel and towards the channel islands. but away from here, no sign of any rain. those temperatures still on the high side for this time of year, particularly high towards the south—east into the midlands. 30 degrees quite likely here. and for the first week ofjuly, not a great deal of change. more dry, sunny and quite

hot weather for most. the highest temperatures will be in the south where there is still the chance of one or two thundery downpours, although that threat, that risk, that chance is diminishing as the week goes on. because that high pressure is going to be building in across more of the uk, settling things down once again, and again on tuesday, it's sunny skies for most areas. but with the high pressure building in across the north, here, it's somewhat cooler and fresher, there's a bit more cloud for northern scotland for a while, but fewer showers through the english channel. as you can see, in the outlook for our capital forecast, it looks like it should stay dry, temperatures widely into the mid—to—high 20s. that's it from me. goodbye. this is bbc world news. the headlines: hundreds of thousands of people have taken part in protests across the united states against president trump's immigration policies. people took to the streets in cities as far and wide as washington, san francisco, and atlanta, calling for migrant families split up at the us border to be reunited. at least one person has been killed and around a dozen injured in the nicaraguan capital managua.

armed men are reported to have shot at crowds of people who were marching in memory of young protestors who died during more than two months of anti—government protests. and in the world cup, it's game over for argentina and portugal after losses on the first day of the knockout stage in russia — lionel messi and cristiano ronaldo are among the goalscoring greats who'll be heading home. their sides lost to france and uruguay respectively. four young men, three of them teenagers, have died in a car crash in leeds. they were in a vehicle which collided with a taxi. two teenage girls and the taxi driver were taken to hospital. sarah walton reports.